If you find yourself wishing that you lived in a fictionalized Victorian era, reprogramming your iPod to run on coal, or giving bronze accents to your autogyro, you might be a steampunk.
Remember these Glitter Vinyl Cyclops Ice Cream Cones? Sebastian Curadeau got in touch to say he’s updated his blog shop with full stock of the 10-inch, 15-inch and 25-inch cones. Cones are available in white, black, dark green, lime green, blue, pink, purple, silver and red, as well as cyclops style. Furrys are available in small and large sizes in white, blue, green, pink and purple. For an additional charge, you can request GID eyes and mouths on both the Cones and Furrys. The prices are:
All the toys use glitter vinyl similar to a 50’s diner material. The eyes and mouths are made from hand-dyed and painted leather. Sebastian stuffs them with cotton and sews them on an industrial sewing machine. To order, send an email to: sebastiancuradeau [at] gmail [dot] [com] . Or if you find yourself in Vancouver, Canada, go down to Hammered and Pickled at 1494-3 old Bridge Street. Sebastian says he will buy you a donut.
Almost coinciding with the release of the newfangled ‘Day The Earth Stood Still’ and the DVD re-release of the same film in its classic form, Amok Time’s Gort is scheduled to hit around the beginning of the new year. He’s one of cinema’s most important robots, eerily simple and iconic, and played by an unknown doorman. Eventually, Gort would live out a life of quiet dignity after being purchased by Bozo the Clown and used as a supporting prop in the background of “Commander Comet”.
If you can call that living.
Either way, this 16″ tall, solid Gort from Amok Time is an interesting work, and is now being distributed by Sideshow. $75 for two articulated arms in a huge chunk of molded plastic isn’t my usual speed, and I much prefer the two-pack that includes the 1/6th scale, articulated Klaatu, but it’s Gort. He’s pretty much the ringleader of all robots, and at 16″ tall, those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
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Fully Visual continues to thrill us all with some hot new metal. Don’t worry, it’s hot but not molten: you can still buy it and hold in your greedy little hands. This time Fully Visual has partnered with the awesome and mighty Gargamel and the metal makers have taken on the Zags! With skill and surely lots of solder, they have collaborated on six versions of the detailed Metal Mini Zagorans. Here is the breakdown of the offerings:
Silver – 25 Made - $99
Cooper – 25 Made - $120
Black Nickel – 15 Made - $140
Gold – 15 Made - $150
Plus two very special hand-painted editions by Paul Kaiju
Green and Red – 10 Made - $160
Blue and Brown – 10 Made - $160
All these pieces will be released (just in time for your holiday shopping) on Monday 12/15 at 11 AM (Pacific Standard Time). You can buy yours from the Fully Visual Web Store right here.
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Beware! The Pink Death Zombeard is coming! The Pink Death Zombeard is coming? You may be asking about the who, when and why of this new Super7 release.
Who? Well this is another member of the mighty and mysterious Snakes of Infinity’s Zombie army. He is five inches tall and was cast in black vinyl with a clear pink vinyl beard-head, with black, white, red and pink spray. He has “stepping out of the shadows, unleashed on an unsuspecting populace! Eye witness reports of early attacks were sketchy at best, ranging from descriptions of whirling pink tornadoes to huge furry pink bears. A janitor working the graveyard shift even reported being attacked by a pink mop. The one thing all witnesses agreed on was the blazing bright pink. ”
When…the Pink Death Zombeard will be up for sale on Saturday December 13th at 11am (Pacific Standard Time). The piece will be for sale at the San Francisco Super7 store and also online.
Why? ‘Cos they can.
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Gallery1988 has announced the second installment of the Under the Influence art series: a tribute to the Beastie Boys. Following last year’s tribute to comic book legend Stan Lee, and receiving the Beastie Boys’ blessing and involvement, this is guaranteed to be a super disco breakin’ show.
Lightsleepers and Pocket Full Of Monsters present: PEEKABOO MONSTER @ The Lightsleepers Pop-Up Store in Honolulu Hawaii. The exhibit began yesterday and runs through December 30th.
In a universe where animals follow the lead of monsters over throwing heads in the fight for greed and power, life and death, its hard to see who is the oppressed and who is the oppressor. When “eatingyouryoung!” is the law of the land the young only get stronger to survive!
PeekaBooMonster! roams nomadicly with a Pocket Full of Monsters and his trusty side kick Genghis Khan creating the visually creations of the vicious cycle with a colorful splatter of paint. Peekaboo was created on the wet streets of the Emerald city in 2001, where he popped up showing work and running around with his crew of droogies being inspired from the experiences that surrounded him. In 2005 after joining forces with the Pocket Full Of Monsters crew and with help and support from friends and family Peekaboo was able to share his vision full time. With recently moving from the Emerald city after 6 years to the city of Lost Angels, Peekaboo expects bigger and better monsters to creep out from under yo’ beds and invade yo’ walls……..sleep if you want to dream……wake up if you want to live it…..keep yo eyelids open…be a LIGHTSLEEPER!
Peekaboo Monster will have special Hawaii-only limited prints and t shirts as well as original art pieces for sale at this event. For more information please call 808-222-9284 or email lightsleepers [at] gmail [dot] [com].
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Michael Lau and I finally have something in common: we’re both getting married. In a bland world of “every kiss begins with Kay” commercials, the savvy suitor really needs to stand out. Knowing that it’s way too risky to try to pick out someone else’s forever jewelry, I went with a non-smorkin’ labbit as a polka-dotted placeholder. She said yes! I am a very happy. Now the fun of which coast, when and where begins. And P.S. to Frank Kozik, yes, I am going to get her a “real” ring now.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Michael Lau, who proposed to his girlfriend a couple months ago in a 2-page spread in East Touch magazine, set the bar high for wedding invitations. Michael is marrying his girlfriend, Florance Yip at the end of December. His wedding invites were 3D, and in addition to the details, the back of the box was inscribed with: “© all rights reserved with love warning: all parts of michael lau is female allergic, strictly prohibited for any woman over age of 15 years (except florance) florance is trademarked by michael lau on earth © 12222008 happy wedding unlimited.”
The following pictures and info all come from (lucky guy) Noe’s blog.
Those that are familiar with Lau’s work know that his company name is Crazysmiles and uses similar copyright claims on his vinyl figures. The contents of the box were amazing. There was a little red envelope inside with 10 Hong Kong Dollars. It is “Li Shi” money, traditionally given as gifts to the happy couple. I guess I’m going to have to send the money back? The date of the wedding is symbolic because certain numbers are also considered lucky in China. 2 and 8 are very lucky numbers, if you add up all the 2’s on the date you get another 8, double 8’s, a very lucky date to be wed on!
There was something else in the box. Wrapped in red tissue paper was a pair of vinyl figures unlike anything I’d seen before. It was an all-black Michael hugging an all-white Florance. They were tied together with red shoelaces with the date of their wedding in gold print on it. The colors were symbolic because Michael had a giant “-” or negative on the back of his head and Florance a giant “+” or positive so I guess it’s true that opposites attract? Michael’s figure was in Nike sneakers and Florance in red heels. A repeat of the wedding information was engraved on their backs as well and if you notice, from behind they make the shape of a heart. How romantic!
That is really quite awesome, isn’t it? Apparently, Nike may have picked up the tab for Lau’s nuptial notices, but the sentiment is very sweet nonetheless. I’m hoping I don’t see these on eBay. Feel free to leave congratulations and share stories of your exciting engagements in the comments!
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Everyone’s favorite pretty in pink artist/designer Buff Monster has collaborated yet again with the magic of the Teddy Troop, the iconic Flying Fortress piece produced by adFunture. This time he’s gone old school and gotten all hand painted on us. There will only be twenty-five of this figure available and they will go on sale December 15th.
This Teddy Trooper is pretty damn cool. It’s painted a light lime green (or a chartreuse if you wanna get all fancy) and the feet, hands and nose of the Teddy are a light very Buff Monster hue of pink. Oh and it glows in the dark, yeah…totally hot. On the helmet is what looks to be two crossed lollipops, sweet! Each one comes in a hand-silkscreened box and is signed and numbered with a signed and numbered Giclee print that also was made in an edition of twenty-five. No word on price, but go to Buff Monster’s site on the 15th to see if you can afford or are quick enough to get one.
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I’m aware that this isn’t a blog about how best to decorate your living room sofa, but here’s a great way to decorate your living room sofa, brought to you by Octopus Ink in the UK. It’s okay - it’s completely toyetic.
Have a gander at these ‘Mitesized’, super-derivative characters emblazoned on these classy throw pillows. They’re identifiable enough to be awesome, and divorced enough from their origins to be relatively unimpeachable. I can’t imagine a sexier, more masculine couch than one with He-Man on one end and Chewbacca on the other. If these aren’t begging to be made into little rotocast adorables, I don’t know what is. Here’s my formal request for Batman, Tom Baker Doctor Who, and Krang. Make it happen, Octopeoples.
Octopus Ink displays an alarming lack of tentacles, but they do make promises of carrying toys and skatedecks in the future. For now, bask in the pin-ups and baby superpeople, as I fight the urge to get myself an adorable Skeletor-ish shirt.
Wow. This is not some Spencer’s Gifts black-light for your college dormatory poster. This is an actual G.I.D. art print by Steven Harrington. If Steven’s Series 5 Dunny (below) was one of your favorites, you’re going to really dig this print. The 18″x 24″ print “glows in the dark like crazy” (actual photo above) and comes signed and numbered in an edition of 150. You can pick up the special night version of Un Royaume for $49.99 here.
Okay, stay with me here, because this is going to go a bit meta.
During a recent Hellboy 2 : The Golden Army DVD release party, actor Brian Steele reprised his role as the colossal Wink, but he came with a friend in the form of Mezco’s excellent Wink action figure - thus forever destroying the tenuous boundary between fiction and those parts of fiction that are merchandisable. Forget about breaking the fourth wall - this guy just burnt down the whole house, and the cats never made it out alive. I still think it’s a wonder that he can even HOLD the Wink figure with those elephantine mitts.
The jury’s still out on whether the Wink figure included the retail head or the special, corrected mail-away head.
Mezco’s no stranger to getting their action figures into the hands of the characters which birthed them, having recently found the cast of Heroes happily clutching their miniature counterparts on camera also. It’s only a matter of time before they stage the ultimate meta-coup and get Al Pacino to pose with his stylized Scarface figure.
Soon enough, Mezco. Soon enough. For now, Mezco sent ToyCyte an exclusive look at all of this Wink business, which would be adorable were it not so ghoulish.
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We’ve been waiting for Bwana Spoon (of Grasshut Corp fame) to debut the piece he’s been working on in conjunction with Switcheroo and finally, it’s here. Switcheroo, for those of you living under a rock, is the design studio created by Michelle Valigura and Amanda Visell. Yeah, this pretty much guarantees an instant coolness (and collectible) factor.
Bwana says of this creature which first debuted on a painting of his from 2005, “Rainbowasaurus is part of my peeples world and lives on forest island with his brother franz”. Below is an unfinished sculpt of the piece …I for one am looking forward to the finished magic.
On Saturday, December 20th from 7-10pm, the Switcheroo Workshop will be presenting a special evening with Bwana Spoons featuring the much anticipated release of the Rainbowasaurus. The event will feature “original art, secret projects and fun!” The show will be at Switcheroo (543-B South Raymond, Pasadena) and Mr. Bwana will be there to cold chill with y’all.
William Palerne has become an albino. If you don’t know him, personally that is, let me introduce you to Mr. Palerne The Human Wolf by We Kill You.
William Palerne v.1 – The Human Wolf was first released on October 10th with a run of just twenty pieces. This new edition is the albino incarnation. He has red eyes, dark grey overalls and grey spray. This one will be SUPER limited, with just a release of five of them. They will go on sale today at noon PST at the We Kill You online store.
Each piece is a handmade, sculpted, cast and painted resin figure. He’s five inches tall and packaged in a bag with a header. The William Palerne creator also states that “all toys are HAND made and painted by me in my studio. I try my best to make them as perfect as possible but sometimes there are tiny air bubbles under the feet and such. please keep that in mind!”
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Another day, another cool Be@rbrick. This one comes from Danish design label Wood Wood. With its clear head and cycling iconography, this is what you bring to Lance Armstrong’s Christmas party. The Wood Wood Be@rbrick drops wherever you manage to buy Medicom toys (try Double Punch in San Francisco) on December 15th.
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They say that Jessica Simpson might be bad for Tony Romo’s game, but is she good for selling art? Survey says: yes! I viewed the announcements for Gallery1988’s Pete Wentz/Travis McCoy show with the typical snarkiness and skepticism one reserves for things like this (and the musical oeuvre of Billy Bob Thornton), but gallery co-owner Jensen’s blog post (following last night’s opening of Without You I’m Just Me) has me re-thinking some things.
This isn’t just a picture of Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson shopping at Kidrobot. It’s not even just a picture of Pete and Travis sagging some designer Kidrobot pajamas. It’s bigger. You see, while (one-time Kaws collaborator) John Mayer, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson and the trying-so-hard-it-hurts-to-look-at-them lads of Good Charlotte are used to getting lots of press, artists in our scene aren’t always afforded the same luxury. So, while it might seem unseemly at first, on second look, consider the usefulness of said celebrities. They brought people from outside our little toy culture bubble, which in turn exposed more folks to cool art and by extension got artists like Greg “Craola” Simkins, Luke Chueh and Buff Monster some new exposure (beyond the toy blogosphere). The increased press means more visitors to the gallery, more money for the artists, and then, by extension, more toys for us.
Or in Jensen’s words: “This press has ALREADY proven to force new fans onto these artists, as well as drive new people into the gallery, dozens per hour. People who NEVER would have heard about or know how cool these artists are. And in turn, this show made a handful of buyers and artists call and email me and say, “You know, I wasn’t expecting to like Pete and Travis’s art, but I really do!” So maybe we both have different audiences that just need to know each other exist and aren’t douchebags. Right, John Mayer?”
Oh snap. Next up: the Gossip Girl group art show. Pictures via Gallery1988 and Friends or Enemies.
I gotta try to type fast because while I was downloading some of these pictures, a few sold out. Anyway, it was Leslie Leving’s Beastlies that got me paying attention again to polymer clay as a medium for designer toys and Mike Slobot who turned me onto “My Guys” by Meredith Dittmar. These whimsical little (2-3-inch) clay creatures are all hand-made. “My Guys” are one-offs, which cost $18, whereas “clones” are open-editions for $12. Meredith also has a couple holiday critters, including a 7-inch set for $55. I want to write more about these, like how much I dig the green guy with the flower and the purple maniac with the pencil above, but due to the fact that these dropped moments ago and are already getting snatched up, I’ll just offer you some images, a link and my glowing endorsement.
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I was recently informed that pink is the most desirable colorway among kaiju fans and is also the “new blue” among oxford-wearing office drones. Neither of those types of people are really the target market for Jeremyville’s pink Converse kick, which he describes as: “Something I’d want to add to my collection of shoes, which is a big ask, as I have a LOT of sneakers in my collection. So I imagined this light pink and black shoe being worn with like a pair of black skinny jeans, and a faded Mickey tee and 70’s sunglasses.” You can pick up the sneakers, which have the design embossed on a leather finish, from Jeremyville’s webshop for $150 shipped from Australia. You can also get a matching Sketchel for $130. Kind of a nice triple-play coordinated with his recent 8-inch Dunny if you’re a fan of Jeremyville.
And if you don’t like this shoe or this color, consider designing your own custom kicks at RYZ. (I just found out about RYZ. If you’ve used it, let me know what you think.)
On December 2nd, Super7 released their first Gorilla Biscuits piece, a figure to honor the legendary New York hardcore band. Their first take on the iconic image was a grinning gray sprayed ape wearing a blue hoodie and jet black hair. This brand new release of the Gorilla Biscuits figure doesn’t include any of the before mentioned colors. None of them. Nada. Zero. Zilch. This Gorilla Biscuit is pert near invisible. This very special version is a five inch soft vinyl figure and has been cast in unpainted crystal clear vinyl.
The hot first version of the figure was released in conjunction with the Gorilla Biscuits tours of Japan and Australia this month. On the tour, just a limited quantity will be available, but some were also made available at Super7 and Super7.com.
You can get this Invisible Version for $60 from Super7 direct here.
Modern pirates everywhere just got a little tingly.
Arrrr! Sideshow Collectibles has revealed images and details on their upcoming Blackbeard Premium Format figure. For the uninitiated, ‘Premium Format’ implies a sculpted, 1/4th scale polystone figure, richly clad in fabrics and cast elements to replicate as authentic an experience as possible. Noble and frightening, Blackbeard comes with a costume that features 72 meticulous buttons, six holstered (but removable) pistols, a separate English pistol, a sword and an axe - all based on historical details.
This follows up on the 1/6th scale Blackbeard that Sideshow produced in their earlier days, and honestly, completely blows it away. Okay, so I’m a little uncomfortable glorifying a notorious plunderer, or a man whose decapitated body is said to have swam around his own boat 7 times before it finally gave up the ghost, but hot damn, fancy red-coated manliness right off of the East Coast is somewhere in my blood. Right behind the part that collects superhero Barbies.
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